Danish Braised Beef
Bankekød © kvalimad.dk
Bankekød is one of the most classic Danish stews — thin slices of beef dredged in flour and braised with onions and bay leaf until you get a thick, dark sauce. The name comes from lightly “beating” (banke) the meat before cooking to tenderise the fibres. It is a dish that looks after itself and tastes better the next day. Mashed potatoes are the natural accompaniment.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 600 g lean beef (shoulder or topside), cut into thin slices
- approx. 2 tbsp flour
- salt, freshly ground pepper
- 2 large onions
- 1–1½ tbsp oil
- 1 bay leaf
- approx. 400 ml water or stock
To serve
- mashed potatoes
- salad
Method
Preparation
Beat the beef slices lightly with a meat mallet or the heel of your hand. Mix the flour with salt and pepper and turn the slices in the mixture. Peel and roughly chop the onions.
Browning
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Brown the beef slices in 2–3 batches until golden-brown on both sides — do not crowd the pan, or you will get steam instead of browning. Remove the meat. Brown the chopped onions until soft and golden.
Braising
Return the meat and onions to the pot along with the bay leaf. Add enough boiling water or stock to just cover. Put the lid on and let the stew simmer over low heat until the beef is tender — 1 to 1½ hours. Add a little more liquid if needed during cooking.
Serving
Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve straight from the pot with mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce.
Notes
- Beef shoulder is the best cut for this dish — well marbled and resilient to long cooking; topside risks drying out
- The thick flour coating on the slices thickens the sauce naturally during cooking — no separate thickening needed
- Brown the beef in batches; an overcrowded pan produces steam rather than browning and gives a weaker sauce
- The dish improves the next day once the flavours have had time to settle
- Freezing: 3 months; the sauce thickens on cooling — loosen with a little stock when reheating